Modern Day Christmas Story
by guitarsNthings
Summary: A modern-day Christmas story...featuring one person you may have heard about.


_A/N: I don't own Billie Joe Armstrong, Adrienne Armstrong, or Joe Armstrong. I only own the original characters. I don't own the plotline. I'm pretty sure you'll know where it's from. And when I say "Christmas and Easter" or make a reference to a religious holiday, I'm referring to the secular versions, not the religious ones. Just to clear that up._

**Modern-Day Christmas Story**

_April 22__nd__, 2010_

Joe Armstrong was sitting on his bed, laptop in front of him, staring at the message in front of him. His girlfriend of almost four years, Mary Rainey had told him she was coming over, and that he was going to be getting some news. Whether it was bad or good, he didn't know. But then she showed up in his doorway, eyes red and puffy, and Joe got up. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Joe, I…I'm pregnant." His faced turned white.

"W-what? Who…" Mary shifted from foot to foot.

"This is gonna sound crazy." Joe shook his head to disagree.

"Just tell me who did this to you. I swear I'll make sure they never touch you again."

"You can't exactly do that. You know I'm Christian." He knew she was. And time and time again, every Christmas and Easter, Mary had tried to get her boyfriend to go to church with her.

"Yeah, and I've told you I don't believe that stuff."

---

Billie had sent Joe's girlfriend right up to his son's room, and she wasn't back yet. He stood, and was about to go see what was up when she ran towards the front door. A second later, Joe's bedroom door slammed shut, and Billie walked down the hallway to Joe's room. He opened the door and saw Joe sitting on his bed, head in his hands.

"Is anything wrong, Joe?"

"Mary's pregnant. And she says that God did this to her. Can you believe that?"

"No," Billie sighed. He couldn't believe he was about to do this. "But, I'm going to tell you something. Take care of her, Joe; let her know that you love her. It's all she wants from you right now.

---

The next day at school, Mary was standing at her locker, getting a book from it when she saw checkered Converse below her. "Mary, I'm really sorry about yesterday."

"Joe, you didn't believe me yesterday. Why would you believe me now?"

"Look, yesterday I was an idiot for not believing you."

"Just leave me alone, Joe." That night, she was at home when her brother walked through her door.

"Hey, you have to tell mom and dad sooner or later."

"Joe didn't believe me, Gabe. I can't tell them."

"Look, maybe you should just trust him, Mary. Trust that he'll take care of you."

---

Two nights later, Mary showed up at the Armstrong house, ready for whatever life was going to dish out. She rang the doorbell and to her surprise, Joe answered. "Joe, I told my parents. They think…they think you…" He pulled her into a tight embrace, and then ran his fingers through her hair. "They kicked me out."

"Hey, it's gonna be okay. I'm here, aren't I?" Later that night, when Mary and Joe were sitting on the couch, watching a movie, Billie tapped his son on the shoulder.

"We need to talk." Joe got up, followed his dad into the kitchen, and then saw his mom standing over by the fridge. "Look, I know you're trying to be there for her, Joe, but I talked with your mom and…well, she can't stay here, Joe."

"Why not? She's my girlfriend." Adrienne walked over to Joe and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Look, it's not that we don't like her. We do. It's just…your dad and I discussed it and it wouldn't be…well, wise to let your girlfriend stay here. We'll get her a hotel room if she needs a place to stay."

"I'm going with her."

"Joe, you can't…you have to stay here. You have school."

"And she doesn't?! If she goes, I go with her. Simple as that." That night, after Joe finally talked his parents into letting Mary stay with him, he watched her from his bedroom door. "You're beautiful."

"Shut up. You won't be saying that in six months, I guarantee that you won't even wanna look at me." Mary glared at him, and then Joe swallowed the lump in his throat.

"How do you know that? I'm gonna love you and say you're beautiful every day for the next twenty years." Her face softened and then she smiled at him.

"You're so sweet…" _What the hell just happened?_ "Mood swings, Joe." _That explains a lot…_ Joe sat down on the bed and they fell asleep, the last words out of Joe's mouth before he started snoring were,

"I love you, Mary."

_The Other Seven Months Passed_

_December 24__th__, 2010_

Joe had hated Christmas music. Well, "had" being the operative word. It was Christmas Eve, and, with Mary's incessant bidding, he and his dad had gone out to pick a tree out. They were now trying to find the ornaments from years past when Mary walked into the living room. She stared at them, sitting on the floor, dusty boxes surrounding them, and she shook her head.

"We're making the ornaments unless you find the real ones in the next five minutes."

"BUT MARY!"

"No buts. It's just corny enough for us. I'm going to visit Gabe…he's staying at a motel while our parents are gone cause he locked himself out of the house. Joe, do you want to come with me?"

"Sure." It was 10:30 PM when they arrived at the motel. The motel was run down, and then only form of security was the drunken guy manning the front desk. A knock on Gabe's door and it opened.

"Gabe? Are you here? This is no place for you to be staying." When there was no response, Mary sighed and kicked a pop can out of the way, but stopped suddenly.

"Is something wrong?"

"I think I'm gonna have the baby."

"What? Now?"

"Yes, now. Hurry up and help." Joe picked up his phone and dialed a number. "Dad, is Mom there?"

"What…why?"

"Mary's gonna have the baby, Dad!"

"Shit. Where are you two?"

"Gabe's room at the motel."

"Ahh, shit. Shit. ADIE!" Joe impatiently stomped his right foot on the ground and then yelled into the phone.

"I GOTTA HELP HER, DAD! JUST TELL MOM TO GET HERE SOON!" Two and a half hours later, Joe was holding a baby in his arms, and Mary was sitting against the bed in the room. Adrienne was standing in front of the ice machine in the hallway, and Billie was sitting on the bed, watching his son hold a baby that wasn't even his. Just then, Mary glanced at the phone lying on the floor from when it had slipped out of Joe's hands, and she looked at the time.

"It's Christmas." That morning, they went back to the house, and before Joe and Mary joined the rest of the family in the living room, he leaned up against the frame of the door and watched as she set the baby down into the crib.

"What's his name?" She walked over to the door and leaned up against him, sighing.

"Emmanuel. It means, 'God with us'." A second passed and then she continued. "You know, I knew that someday, God would come down to earth, and the night God got me pregnant…I think this is it." Joe wrapped his arms around Mary and held her close.

"So do I." In that moment, there they were, standing in his doorway, holding each other, just watching as the little baby boy slept peacefully. Neither of them knew just how much that baby boy was going to impact their lives.


End file.
